1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power device and, more particularly, to a non-propulsive thermal transpiration based micro single-chamber solid oxide fuel cell (SCSOFC) power device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Micro or meso fuel cells have received considerable attention over the past decades as a primary solution to the explosive demands of portable power sources or auxiliary power units for automobiles, due to their high energy efficiency, energy density and capability of using hydrocarbon fuels. In particular, solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have received considerable attention due to their fuel flexibility and use of inexpensive catalytic materials. FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration showing the basic principles of the operation of a solid oxide fuel cell, as should be understood by those skilled in the art. In general, the solid oxide fuel cell 100 consists of three components: (1) cathode 10 for oxygen reduction; (2) anode 20 for fuel oxidation; and (3) electrolyte 30 for oxide ion transportation. The resulting free electrons flow through the external circuit. The ideal performance of a SOFC depends on the electrochemical reaction occurring both on the anode and cathode sides. Typically, the ideal performance of the SOFC is represented by the cell voltage determined by the Nernst potential, which is a function of the gas pressure, fuel cell temperature, and partial pressures of reactants and products. A vast amount of literature presently exists detailing the improvements of SOFC obtained during the past decades (see, e.g., Steele B. C. H., Heinzel A. Nature, 414 (2001): 345-352; Napporn T. W, Be'dard X. J., Morin F. J. Electrochem. Soc., 151 (2004): 20888-2096; Horiuchi M., Suganuma S., Watanbe M. J. Electrochem. Soc., 151 (2004): 1402-1405; and Shao Z. P., Haile S. M., Nature, 431 (2004): 170-173), as should be understood by those skilled in the art.
Description of the Related Art Section Disclaimer: To the extent that specific patents/publications/products are discussed above in this Description of the Related Art Section or elsewhere in this Application, these discussions should not be taken as an admission that the discussed patents/publications are prior art for patent law purposes. For example, some or all of the discussed patents/publications/products may not be sufficiently early in time, may not reflect subject matter developed early enough in time and/or may not be sufficiently enabling so as to amount to prior art for patent law purposes. To the extent that specific patents/publications are discussed above in this Description of the Related Art Section and/or throughout the application, they are all hereby incorporated by reference into this document in their respective entirety(ies).